Meet the Todds
by The Italian Peach
Summary: [TATE, COMPLETE] How will Kate's parents, including her sexist, racist dad, react to her and Tony's engagement?
1. Surprise Visit

Yes...its another TATE fic from me...I was watching Meet the Fockers yesterday, and I had a sudden burst of inspiration. This story doesn't follow the movie at all though; it's just the whole parent thing that got me going.

There is some Italian in this chapter. I couldn't help it. Here is the translation:

_Come sei bella. _- How beautiful you are.

Disclaimer: Although it would be nice, I don't own Navy NCIS.

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The doorknob of Kate Todd's apartment jiggled. She was having trouble getting the door open as there was a man kissing her neck as she turned the key. 

"Tony, stop it!" she giggled as she finally succeeded in unlocking the door. She tossed her things onto the counter as she turned around and kissed him full on the lips. Tony kicked the door shut with his foot.

The moment was ruined however, when the slamming door caused a frame hanging on the wall to fall off. There was a crash and the couple broke apart. Kate looked sheepishly at the pile of glass and metal on the floor.

"Oops." She walked over and freed the picture that used to hang in the now ruined frame. It was one of her favorites. She and Tony were sitting at their desks at the NCIS office. He was throwing a paper airplane at her. The plane was in midair, hovering right between the two of them. Abby had taken it when she brought her camera to work one day.

Tony approached her from behind. "_Come sei bella_," he murmured in her ear as he bent down to pick up the glass pieces.

Kate turned to look at him. "Do you always breakout in Italian every once in a while?"

"Only when I'm feeling extremely romantic."

"Which you are feeling now?" Her voice held back a laugh.

Tony sighed as he picked up an extra large glass shard. "Only you can make me that way, Kate."

"You know what would be very romantic Tony?" Kate had a mischievous gleam in her eye.

"What's that?"

"If you cooked dinner tonight."

Tony nuzzled her neck. "You're only saying that because you're feeling lazy."

"Maybe I am. Or maybe it's the fact that I suck at cooking."

He stood and pulled her along. "If it pleases you, I'll cook. But you have to clean up this mess." He gestured toward the pile of glass.

Kate kissed his nose. "Okay." She turned to the bedroom to change. Work clothes made her feel like Special Agent Caitlin Todd. She was home now, and all she wanted to be was Kate Todd. Kate Todd soon to be Kate DiNozzo.

"Is spaghetti alright for dinner Kate?" Tony called from the kitchen.

"It's fine!" she hollered back.

She paused to look at her left hand. It was still getting used to the thin gold band with the diamond perched on top. She held her hand up to the light and watched the diamond sparkle. They'd been engaged for a week now, but she could hardly believe that he'd even proposed. Pulling on a pair of pink sweatpants and a brown top, she thought back to the day when he popped the question.

It started off as any day would. They arrived at work together and sat down at their desks to do paperwork. Around noon, Tony got bored and started throwing paper clips at Kate, as he did almost everyday. She was about to retaliate when one came hurling through the air and landed right in front of her. It had a scrap of paper attached to it. She removed the scrap from the clip. Unfolding it, she almost gasped aloud at what it said.

"Marry me?" was scribbled in messy handwriting.

Ripping a corner from a piece of paper on her desk, she wrote, "Yes," and attached it to a paperclip and threw it back to Tony. Moments later, a ring landed on her desk.

Of course, Gibbs found out almost immediately. As he walked past the two desks, he said, "Congratulations you two." They'd been surprised, thinking that they were very sneaky with the whole thing. Then again, nothing flew under Gibbs's radar.

Kate flopped down on their bed and fingered the ring. It used to be just her bed, but she didn't mind sharing it. Turning over, she sniffed the pillows. They were already losing her scent and absorbing his. It was more of a mixture, really. A touch of her perfume and his cologne. Kate closed her eyes and thought. Thinking of the future excited her.

Of course, they'd already made plans. With their combined income, they would buy a nice little house in a safe neighborhood. The school district would have to be good. They wanted the best for their children. As for children, they'd have two. A boy and a girl. Tony even wanting children initially surprised Kate. He seemed to be the kind of man who didn't want that burden. But the more she thought about it, the more Kate was sure that he would make a great father.

"Dinner's ready!" Tony announced.

There was a knock on the door. Rolling over, Kate glanced at the alarm clock that sat on the nightstand. Big red numbers announced that it was 7:00. With a sigh, she lifted herself off the bed and stuffed her feet into blue bunny slippers before shuffling off to answer the door.

Kate stifled a gasp as she peered through the peephole. "Who is it?" Tony asked, poking his head out of the kitchen. She didn't answer him. Bracing herself, Kate opened the door.

"Hi Mom!" she exclaimed, hugging the women on the other side of the door. "Hi Dad." She moved on to hug the man standing next to her mom.

Tony could hardly keep his mouth shut.

**TBC…**

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This was actually supposed to be 1,200 words longer, but then I thought this was a good place to stop. The second half of the original first chapter will be posted soon. 

The more reviews I get the faster I'll update...just kidding. But please review!


	2. The Rats

And here we are! The next installment of Meet the Todds. I would like to give a BIG HUGE round of applause for all my awesome possum reviewers! You guys are the best!

Ahem, there's one Italian phrase in this chapter too. You should be able to figure out what it means using context clues, but here's the translation in case you don't.

_Ti amo_-I love you.

BTW, Meet the Todds can be looked at as the sequel for Truth or Dare, but it doesn't have to be. If you haven't read Truth or Dare, this story will still make more than perfect sense.

Enough of my rambling. Enjoy the fic!

Disclaimer: I wish that I did own NCIS. I also wish I had a million dollars….

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Mr. and Mrs. Todd were ushered in by a flustered Kate. The four of them stood awkwardly in the living room. Kate introduced everyone. 

"Tony, this is my mom and dad." Tony smiled while the Todds nodded. They were still wondering why a man was in their precious daughter's apartment at such an hour.

"Mom, Dad," Kate continued introductions, "this is Tony." She paused. "My fiancé."

Mrs. Todd gasped and hugged her daughter viciously. "Oh, my Kate is finally settling down!" she half sobbed into Kate's shoulder. Kate gave Tony a nervous smile.

As it is in most marriages and engagements, it is harder to please the dad than the mom. Mr. Todd was looking at Tony rather suspiciously. Not finding any obvious defects (he didn't look drunk or high), he smiled and shook Tony's hand.

"Congratulations," he said heartily.

Tony returned the handshake. "Thank you sir. Your daughter is a magnificent woman."

"Are you guys hungry?" Kate asked as her mother calmed down and let her go.

Her mother straightened out her blouse and smiled. "Actually, we haven't had anything to eat since we left California this morning. Your father and I had a sudden urge to see Washington D.C. and we thought we'd just stop by and surprise you."

"I'm surprised alright. You must be starving. Come and eat. Dinner just got off the stove."

While her parent went to the table, Kate pulled Tony back. "Listen, Tony. There's something you should-"

She was interrupted by her mom's call. "Come on Kate! You must be hungry as well!"

Kate mouthed "Later," and dragged Tony to the dining room.

Tony sat down at his usual seat. He'd tried to help Kate set out the food, but she'd pushed him away and told him she could handle it. It was certainly strange behavior, as she always got him to put out the dishes.

"So, tell, tell." Mrs. Todd said eagerly. "How'd you two meet?"

"We work together." Kate said as she sat down.

"You work at NCIS too Tony?" Mr. Todd asked. He was impressed.

"Yup. My desk is very close to Kate's. We used to fight over silly things all the time. Actually, we still do."

Mr. Todd chuckled. "Nothing like young love, eh?" He took a bite of his pasta. "Mmm! This is delicious! I didn't know you could do Italian food so well Kate."

Kate flinched. "I didn't make it," she said meekly.

"It's frozen? Impossible!"

"Um, actually Dad, Tony made it."

Mr. Todd frowned. "You cook Tony?" He sounded accusing.

Tony missed the signs of annoyance. "I cook a little bit. Kate's not exactly as good in the kitchen as she is in bed."

Both Mr. and Mrs. Todd froze with forks half way to their mouths. Kate kicked him under the table, hard.

"What I meant was-"

Mrs. Todd stopped him. "Think nothing of it. We'll pretend it never happened."

Dinner continued in silence. Pretending that something like that didn't happen was easier said than done. After a while, Mrs. Todd cleared her throat. "So when's the wedding?"

Kate glanced at Tony. "We haven't picked a date yet."

"How long have you two been engaged?"

"A week. We were going to call up the families and tell them this weekend." Tony answered.

Mrs. Todd nodded.

"What's your last name Tony?" Mr. Todd said suddenly.

"Huh?"

"I want to know what Kate's new name is going to be."

"Oh. It's DiNozzo."

"DiNozzo? Is that Italian?"

"Yup." Tony's voice had a hint of pride in it.

"So your Italian?" Mr. Todd's voice was no longer friendly.

Tony was puzzled. Had he said something wrong? "Well, I was born in America, but yes, I'm Italian."

Mr. Todd muttered something that sounded like, "Figures," and put down his fork. "Well Kate, it was great seeing you, but your mother and I need to get going." He motioned to his wife to stand up.

"Oh, but Paul! We haven't seen Kate in years! Surely we can stay a bit longer," Mrs. Todd implored.

"No. We need to get going. And don't talk back when I tell you to do something."

Mrs. Todd glanced at her daughter. "I'm really sorry Kate. We'll call tomorrow." She picked up her bag and headed toward the door. Her husband was already waiting outside. "It was nice meeting you Tony!" she called before closing the apartment door.

Outside, Mrs. Todd joined her husband on the sidewalk as they waited for a taxi.

"How could you be so cruel Paul?" she demanded.

"The man was Italian for crying out loud! And he cooked. How am I supposed to respect a man like that?"

Mrs. Todd's voice was cold. "You should respect him because our little girl loves him. What's with you and non-American people anyways?"

"They're rats. Dirty, filthy, evil rats. They sneak in and live off of what hardworking Americans make."

"Sometimes I wonder why I married you. What exactly makes the Americans better? Nobody's 'American'. If you'll remember, your family came from England. The English were the first rats! Destroying what the Native Americans worked for!"

Mr. Todd slapped his wife. "Never call the English rats!" he bellowed, his face red.

Mrs. Todd glared at her husband, ignoring her stinging face. "I know how Kate thinks, Paul. If you do not respect Tony for who he is, you will no longer be family to her. Think about that. You'll be losing your daughter over a stupid belief you have. Tony is no more of a 'rat' that you or I. He works for our government! He protects our navy! You are the rat here Paul." She stopped. "Catch your own taxi. I'm walking back to the hotel."

* * *

**7: 40 PM, Caitlin Todd's Apartment **

Kate and Tony sat still at the dining table for a long time after the Todds had gone. Tony just stared at Mr. Todd's half full plate. What in the world had gone wrong?

Kate reached over andsqueezed his hand. "It's not your fault Tony."

Tony shook his head, dumbfounded. "Was it the part that I said you were good in bed?"

Kate sighed. "Tony, there's something you should know about my father." She paused. "He's very stereotypical. To him, a man that cooks is a weak man."

"So he thinks I'm weak?" Tony's voice was hollow. "I work in the fricken government! Weak men don't do that!"

"I know. Dad must of thought of that too. It was that you're Italian that blew him off."

Tony looked at Kate, his confusement now replaced with anger. "He hates that I'm _Italian_?" Tony was very proud of being Italian. People who insulted Italy pissed him off.

"Dad has this theory that people who aren't American or English are rats. He hates the Italians, French, German, Irish, Austrian, Swedish…you name it, he probably hates it."

"That's bull."

"I know. I just want you to know that it's not your fault. Personally, I love Italian anything."

Tony flashed Kate one of his million dollar smiles. "I know you do. You're marrying me remember?"

Kate smiled and kissed him. She stood and gathered up the plates. "You want dessert?"

Tony shook his head. "I, uh, I'm going to take a shower and head to bed."

"It's only eight!" Kate exclaimed looking at the clock.

"Yeah, well. It was a big day today."

Kate watched him head off toward the bathroom. This was all her fault. She should've warned him. Sighing, she loaded the dishwasher. Dad was in for a long, long talk.

When Kate finished her shower, she found Tony lying in their bed, looking at the ceiling. She crawled under the blankets and snuggled close to him.

"You sure you're okay?" she asked.

He rolled over to face her. "I don't know Kate. I mean, I've had this dream of your parents welcoming me to the family and I guess I'm disappointed that they don't like me."

Kate propped herself onto her elbow. "Don't you care what my dad says. If he can't understand that I love you for who you are, then I will no longer look at him as family."

"You'd disown your own dad for me?"

"I'd do anything for you."

Tony smiled and buried his face in the crook of her neck, giving her little kisses. "_Ti amo,_" he whispered softly.

Kate closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of his kisses. "I love you too."

**TBC…

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**

Did you know that confusement isn't a word? Instead, the dictionary suggests confusedness… Sounds weird.

As always, reviews would be nice. And you can leave suggestions on what happens in the next chapter too. Suggestions are always good.


	3. Food Fights and More Surprises

The long awaited continuation of Meet the Todds is here! Is everyone pumped? Yes? GOOD! Cuz there's a big twist in this chapter, although it is a lame twist…whatever. It's a twist, and I usually don't do those.

There's probably going to be one more chapter before I finish this story off. Or maybe two. I'll see.

And yes, csigirlie156, you are now a possum. : )

Disclaimer: Me own nothing. Except for Mr. and Mrs. Todd. And this spiffy keychain.

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The alarm clock buzzed, waking the occupants of the bed. Tony flung out an arm and hit the off button. Rolling over, he shook Kate awake. "Hey beautiful," he said smiling.

Kate turned to him. "Hey." She yawned. "What day is it today?"

"Saturday, remember?"

Kate groaned and buried her head back into her pillow. Tony, on the other hand, got out of bed and dressed. "You want me to make breakfast?" His face clouded over as he remembered the events of last night. "Or do you think that makes me weak?"

"For the last time Tony," Kate's voice was muffled by the pillow. "I love the fact that you can cook. Heck, I think men who can't cook are weak."

Tony smirked. "I'm going to tell Gibbs that you think he's weak."

Kate bolted up in bed and chased him to the kitchen. "You will do no such thing!" she hollered as she ran after him. By now, Tony had reached his cell phone and was pretending to call Gibbs.

"Hello? Boss. It's Tony. I'm just calling-" He didn't get any further as Kate knocked the cell phone out of his hands. She reached down hastily and picked it up, cupping it to her ear, and began rambling into it, thinking that Gibbs really was on the other line.

"Sorry Gibbs. Tony was just being a brat. Ignore us. I-" She noticed that Tony was laughing silently. "What's so funny?" she demanded.

"G-Gibbs isn't on t-the other l-line," he managed to sputter while trying to hold back his laughter.

Kate looked at the cell phone. The welcome screen looked back at her. "Tony!" she screamed, using all the self-control she had to stop herself from throwing the cell phone at him. Gibbs didn't like replacing their phones. "You really scared me!"

Tony was almost bent double with laughter. Kate walked over and smacked the back of his head, Gibbs style.

"Ow!"

"That's what you get for freaking me out!"

Tony fumbled around on the counter before his hand came into contact with a glass of water. Kate was still berating him about scaring her when he splashed the water in her face. She stood there for a moment, utter shock sketched on her face, before wrenching the fridge door open and grabbing a can of Redi Whip.

"You are so going down!" she shouted at Tony, who was trying to escape. She blocked his way and sprayed the whipped cream at him. Fluffy white stuff flew everywhere. Tony managed to get a bottle of chocolate syrup from the counter and retaliated. Within moments, the entire kitchen was a mess.

Kate shook her can of Redi Whip. Crap. There was no more. Tony, on the other hand, had plentiful amounts of chocolate syrup and he was not even contemplating the possibility to let Kate go unchocolafied. He unscrewed the top and dumped the entire bottle over her head.

Sprinkles came next. Then nuts, then more sprinkles, and finally came the caramel. It was quite a sight. Two fully-grown specially trained government agents were standing in the middle of a messed up kitchen looking like two human ice cream cones. Minus the ice cream, of course.

Tony was having trouble breathing; he was laughing so hard. "Do we have any ice cream?" he asked Kate.

Kate rubbed her eyes to get rid of the chocolate syrup that was dripping into them. "I think so." She walked over to the fridge and dug around. "Aha!" She proudly held out a carton of vanilla ice cream. Ripping off the lid, she promptly started scooping out the ice cream with her hands and smearing it all over Tony, who in turn snatched the carton out of her reach.

"Don't waste ice cream," he scolded before grabbing an ice cream scoop and attacking Kate.

The ice cream carton was only half full, so the fight ended before long. The kitchen floor was a mess of sticky ice cream, syrup, sprinkles, and whatnot. Kate wasn't thinking about how long it would take her to clean it up. She was on the floor, her back against the cupboards, watching Tony lick his fingers free of, well, stuff. Stuff being all the things they'd thrown at each other. He sat down next to her and grabbed her hand, running his fingers over the ring.

There was a moment of silence as the two surveyed the destroyed kitchen. "That," Tony finally said, "was fun." He ran his finger along Kate's cheek, gathering up whipped cream before licking it off.

Kate shifted and laid her head on his shoulder. "More fun than sex?"

"No. Well, maybe." Tony grinned. "But it was certainly more fun than just eating ice cream."

She laughed and smoothed down her hair with one hand. Washing it could wait. She liked this feeling of not caring what was in her hair. Tony kissed the top of her head, and she closed her eyes. If only everyday were this chocolaty and sweet.

The phone rang. Kate twitched. "That better not be Gibbs," she muttered as she stood to answer it. Admittedly, she was a bit annoyed that her perfect ice cream moment had been destroyed.

"Hello?" she said into the receiver, careful not to get it dirty with her hands.

"Kate?" The voice on the other end sounded worried. "It's Mommy. Your father and I are headed to your apartment right now. Is that okay? We need to talk about last night."

Kate glanced at Tony, who was still sitting in the kitchen. "Um…yeah, it's fine."

"Good. We're almost there."

"What?" Needless to say, Kate was alarmed. She, Tony, and the kitchen were in disarray at the moment.

"Kate? I'll talk to you later okay sweetheart?"

"Mom-"

There was a click on the other side as the connection died. Kate dropped the receiver back into its holder. "Tony!" she shouted, "Get into the shower right now!"

* * *

When the doorbell rang, Kate and Tony were clean as you could be using a five minute shower. The kitchen, however, still stood in a mess.

Mr. and Mrs. Todd were seated on the sofas, sipping coffee. Kate smoothed her wet hair nervously with one hand and helped herself to a gingersnap. She was careful not to let her parents see the kitchen. Clearing her throat, she attempted to make conversation.

"How did you sleep last night?" It was pathetic, yes, but it was better than the silence.

Mrs. Todd set down her cup. "The beds were so soft! And we found a newspaper in front of our door even though we didn't order one!" She beamed at Kate and Tony, who gave back weak smiles.

Mr. Todd downed the last of his coffee and set his mug down rather loudly. "We're not here for fun talk Pat." Turning to Tony, he leaned forward, resting his arms on his lap, and said in a very serious voice, "Look kid, I still don't like you."

Tony stopped himself from making a comeback as Mr. Todd continued. "I don't like that you're Italian and that you cook. I hate the fact that you screwed my daughter before marriage." He glanced at Kate. "But I love Kate, and if I have to accept you into the family in order for me to keep peace with her, then so it be. I'll give you my blessing, but up here," Mr. Todd tapped his head, "you're still a disgusting freak. And if I had my way, you'd be no where near Kate right now."

Tony blinked several times to comprehend what his father-in-law to be had just said. "Gee…I really don't know if I should shoot you or thank you."

Mr. Todd glared. "I need to use the bathroom." He stood up and moved away from the living room.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Mrs. Todd gave a quiet cheer and hugged Tony. "Welcome to the family," she said happily. "I'm going to need you to give me the recipe you used for the spaghetti last night."

* * *

Paul Todd was not a person who didn't get his way. He would rant and cuss until what he wanted was delivered. Heck, that's how he'd gotten married. But as he got older, Paul began to notice that people, especially Kate, were becoming rebellious, not always doing what he wanted.

It started when Kate decided she wanted to work for the government. Despite being extremely patriotic, Paul wasn't happy with the president at the time. He told Kate that there was no way she was going to work for the government. Besides, women didn't belong in there.

Ten years ago, the argument would have ended there, but in the current state, it didn't. Kate joined the Secret Service anyways. And later, she went on to work for NCIS.

Overtime, Paul had grown proud of his daughter and her job. But now, as he sat on the closed toiletlid in her apartment, he felt all that pride turn to dust.

He thought he had taught Kate well. He thought that he had shown her how no one except the boys he introduced to her were worthy of her. But he was wrong. She had gone and chosen a rat. An Italian rat. An Italian rat that had no problem with pre-marital sex. Could it get any worse?

Then again, Paul was forced to reconcile with the fact that Kate was probably okay with pre-marital sex now. How different this woman was from the little girl he'd raised!

Lifting his head with a sigh, Mr. Todd looked around the bathroom. It smelled lightly of potpourri, due to a small wicker basket sitting on the sink counter. Speaking of the sink counter, he saw that Tony's shaving cream already had a spot there. And two towels hung from the towel rack. Ugh…

Placing his hands on his knees, Mr. Todd made ready to get up and rejoin his wife, daughter, and his daughter's fiancé (there was no way he'd ever call Tony a son) in the living room. As he got up though, something caught his eye. Frowning, he peered closer to make sure that it wasn't a trick of the light. It wasn't.

And so it was that a fuming Mr. Todd returned to the living room holding a pregnancy test between his thumb and forefinger. And not just any pregnancy test, but a positive pregnancy test.

**TBC**

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DUN DUN DUN! LOL… you can probably see where I'm going with this. But the twist isn't done yet! Boy would it suck to be Tony right now.

What will Mr. Todd do to Tony? Stick around to find out!

Now all you readers have a job to do. Press that little lavender button in the lower left hand corner of the screen and review!


	4. Coffee and Blood

THANKS FOR ALL THE REVIEWS GUYS! YOU ROCK MY SOCKS OFF!

I thought that you would all like to know that Meet the Todds is the story with the MOST reviews that I, as a writer on have ever gotten! It makes me feel so loved!

In this chapter: Mr. Todd discovers he needs anger management.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

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Tony was a brave person. He would not be afraid to jump in the line of fire for his team. He wouldn't be afraid to tail a serial killer or unwire a bomb. At the moment however, he didn't feel brave watching a smiling Mr. Todd approach him. Maybe it was that Mr. Todd was doing a very bad imitation of a smile. Maybe it was the fact that he was smiling at Tony, of all people. Or maybe, it was the fact that Mr. Todd hated Tony, so him smiling at Tony could never be good. 

Sitting down, Mr. Todd tucked whatever he was holding between the two couch seats. Still smiling, he said to Tony, "So, you two thought of having any children yet?"

Tony felt Kate twitch next to him. "We thought we'd wait a year or two before having kids."

Kate was pale now, and she glanced nervously at her father.

Mr. Todd nodded at Tony's response, as if it were a very interesting point. "Then what," he said, his smile replaced with a mad scowl, "is this?" He pulled out the pregnancy test from between the couch cushions and slammed it on the coffee table, rattling the mugs of lukewarm coffee.

Tony leaned forward to get a better look at it. Mrs. Todd gasped. Kate placed her hand on his arm. But none of this registered to Tony as he took in what he saw.

A pregnancy test. A positive pregnancy test. But where did Mr. Todd get it? He was in the bathroom, so it came from there. But why would it be in the bathroom unless…

Stunned, he turned slowly to look at Kate. "You're pregnant?" His voice was monotone as his brain was grinding to a stop. "You're pregnant?" he asked again. This time, his voice was shriller.

Kate looked at her hands. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I just did the test yesterday, and with the whole issue about Dad…I didn't think it was a good time to tell you and-"

Tony placed his finger on her lips to stop any more words. Cupping her face, he whispered, "We're going to be parents?" His brain still hadn't fully started yet.

Kate nodded, tears showing in her eyes. "This doesn't change anything right?" Her voice suddenly choked. "You still love me, right? You're still going to marry me, right?"

Tony laughed. "Of course I still love you. And of course I'm still marrying you." He was having trouble not to cry now. "I can't believe-"

They were both snapped out of their own little world as Mr. Todd threw the pregnancy test at Tony and it hit his head. "YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BE MARRYING KATE!" he bellowed at the bewildered couple.

Not giving them a chance to respond, he continued, "I am not going to allow my daughter to marry some man who got her pregnant before they got married! So Tony, I'm going to watch you pack your bags and get out of Kate's apartment."

When neither of them moved, he exploded. "I SAID MOVE!"

"I'm not going anywhere."

Mr. Todd froze, his eyes practically popping out of his eyes. "What?"

Tony stood. "I said I'm not going anywhere." His voice rose to a shout. "I'm not going anywhere!"

Mr. Todd stood too. His face had turned a shade of burgundy, his hands clenched into fists. Mrs. Todd tried to restrain him, but he wrenched himself away from her. "Get out! GET OUT!"

Kate rose to her feet and stood side by side with Tony. "Dad, this is my apartment, and I am _not_ going to allow you to kick my fiancé out." Her voice quivered with anger, but she did her best not lose her temper.

Mr. Todd swung to face his daughter. "He is no longer your fiancé! In fact, give me that ring right now young lady!" He held out his hand expectantly.

Kate shook her head violently. "I'm old enough to make my own decisions Dad. You aren't going to tell me what to do anymore." She grabbed Tony's hand. "I'm going to marry Tony whether you like it or not."

"I said give me that ring!" Mr. Todd's voice was a rumble now, and it must have shaken the photo frames sitting on the shelves. And when Kate didn't give him her engagement ring, he hit her, hard.

The slap resounded throughout the living room. Kate was knocked off her feet by the force of the hit. She bit her lip to keep from crying out loud. Her cheek was red from impact. From where she lay on the floor, she could see her dad approach her and grab her left hand to take the ring off. Her mother was screaming and begging her father to stop. And then, she saw it. A fist came flying out of the air and smacked Mr. Todd's cheek, knocking him off balance. And she heard Tony's voice.

"If you touch Kate again, I am going to kill you!" He knelt quickly and helped Kate sit up. "Are you alright?"

Kate touched her cheek. It stung, but she felt better knowing that Tony was by her side. "I'm fine." She secured the ring to her ring finger.

Mr. Todd had gotten up by now. "Did you just hit me?" he demanded.

Tony ignored him. Mr. Todd walked over and kicked Tony's side. "I asked you a question!"

Wincing, Tony stood and faced Kate's father. "You did?" he replied, purposefully acting stupid.

Fuming with anger, Mr. Todd grabbed one of the coffee cups and threw it at Tony. He missed, but cup was still half full, and saturated the carpet with brown liquid.

Tony looked from the brown stain to Kate's horrified face. The carpet was a light cream color, and the brown spot stuck out like a sore thumb. Facing Mr. Todd, he said, "For that, my dear friend, you are going to pay dearly." Walking over, he grabbed Mr. Todd's arm and led him to the door. "Kindly escort yourself out."

Mr. Todd wrenched his arm away before he could be pushed out the door and shoved Tony against the wall. Holding him by the collar, Mr. Todd hissed, "Don't ever tell me what to do." He proceeded to sock Tony in the stomach.

Tony doubled over with pain and surprise. Being hit by someone wasn't new, but this was his fiancé's father. Threw the haze of pain, he saw Mr. Todd about to kick him in the stomach, and he reacted with anger. How dare this man hit Kate and have the nerve to attack him!

With a roar, Tony lunged at Mr. Todd and tackled him to the ground. Though he could not see due to his rage, he threw his fists everywhere, and many of them came in contact with flesh. Mr. Todd was also fighting back. He wasn't the kind of man who simply let someone else beat him to a pulp. He scored a good few hits, but was losing the battle. Nothing could overcome Tony's strength in his anger.

The turning point in the battle came when Kate, fearing that one of them would be severely hurt, yelled out, "Tony, stop!"

Instantly, Tony's fist froze in midair. His vision cleared, and he only heard Kate's voice repeating in his head, "Stop…stop…stop," her voice growing softer with each word. When he looked down, Tony was horrified to see Mr. Todd with a black (really black) eye and bloody nose.He was lying quite still, and Tony prayed that he didn't kill him.

Without warning, Mr. Todd bolted upright and wrapped his hands around Tony's neck. Surprised, Tony fell backwards and hit his head on the coffee table, which stunned him. His coordination currently muddled, it made it easy for Mr. Todd to choke him.

Paul Todd was laughing inwardly. He was winning the fight! He would teach this bastard a lesson. He would teach him not to get close to his daughter. There were screams all around him. He pretended that he was delivering a soul to the devil, and the screams were of those who had betrayed God. The screaming got louder. Then, he heard it. The click as the safety of a gun went off.

An arm snaked around his neck and grasped it tight. The cold barrel of a gun was pushed against his head. "Let Tony go," hissed a cold voice.

Mr. Todd let his hands slacken. His heart was beating violently, his breathing short and sharp. He felt perspiration break on his skin as the voice continued. This wasn't how things were supposed to go.

"Now step away from him," came Kate's voice, soft and deadly. The man she held no longer resembled her father, but instead looked like a cruel beast that she didn't recognize. Her heart was pounding, and her knees felt weak, but she didn't let her grasp on the gun loosen.

Slowly, very slowly, Mr. Todd raised both hands in the air and got up. Kate shoved him against a wall and cuffed him. She'd arrested criminals many times, but this felt strange to her. Her father was mumbling something as Kate left him with her mother as guard.

Quickly bending down at Tony's side, she briefly remember how he'd done the same to her less than 30 minutes ago, when Dad had hit her. It was funny how things reversed themselves in such short matters of time.

Tony was coughing now, but he was able to breathe. Kate helped him sit up. "Are you okay?" she asked, her voice laden with concern. He had bruises on his neck. Kate thought back to all the times she and Tony had listened to Ducky explain how bruises on the neck always meant the victim had be strangled. She shivered, trying to erase the image of Tony lying on the cold metal autopsy table, dead, killed by her father.

"Are you okay?" she asked again.

Tony managed a weak smile. "I'm fine now," he whispered so softly that she could barely hear him. He grasped her hand. "I'm fine now."

**TBC**

* * *

Turns out I'm going to need a couple more chapters before I wrap this up. But I wont be updating much anymore because school's starting on Thursday for me. I'll try my best to post the next chapters ASAP, but I can't promise anything.

And now, my loyal readers, you must review!


	5. Gibbs Intervenes

I was actually going to make Mr. Todd a better person after Tony saved his life (thanks to jbristowfan47 for the idea a couple chapters back), but then, almost everyone who reviewed said they hated Mr. Todd, so I was like, "What the hell. Let him suffer." evil cackle

Disclaimer: For the last time, I don't own NCIS.

* * *

Kate was never one to act on impulse. She liked to think out the situation before responding. She thought it kept her alive in her job. Unlike Tony. Tony always reacted with his gut instinct.

But when Kate saw her father starting to strangle Tony, she knew she didn't have time to think. She let her feet lead her to their bedroom and she let her hands open the bedside drawer and take out the pistol she kept there. She let her feet take her back to the living room where Mom was trying in vain to peel her husband off Tony. She let herself push her mother aside and ram the gun against her father's temple.

Now, as she watched Tony gasp for air, she thanked whatever superior force there was for saving his life.

Feeling tears rise, Kate clasped Tony's hand to her chest and sobbed quietly. Tony hushed her and brushed away stray pieces of her mused hair from her face. "It's all okay," he whispered. "I'm fine." He pressed her face against his shoulder and smoothed her hair.

"I almost lost you," she sobbed into him. "I was so scared."

Tony continued to make soothing noises until Kate pushed him away and blew her nose on a piece of tissue paper. There was a rustle near the door, and Kate remembered who was standing there.

"You!" she yelled as she swung around to face him. "You bastard!" Storming over to her father, Kate smacked him across the face. "You heartless, arrogant, son of a bitch!"

Mrs. Todd stood with Kate, a look of grim satisfaction on her face. She would make no interference with whatever her daughter planned to do to Paul. He was wrong, and he needed to learn a lesson.

"Kate, please, listen to me," Mr. Todd begged before Kate had another chance to denounce him again.

"Give me one reason why I should." Fury was clearly written on her face.

Mr. Todd shook his head. "There is no reason why you should. But I want you to anyway." He continued before she could stop him. "I only want the best for you. This man," he motioned toward Tony, "knocked you up. He's not good enough. I want to you be happy."

"And nearly killing the man I love is supposed to make me happy…how?" Kate sneered. "I'm so fucking sick of your little speeches. No one is ever good enough for me. You don't want me to be happy in life."

"No, no, I want only want the best for you!" Mr. Todd was groveling at Kate's feet, looking nothing like the brash man who'd attacked his daughter and her fiancé.

Kate stepped away from him. "Get away from me." Putting on an emotionless face, she grabbed her father's arm and hosted him up. "You're under arrest for the assault and attempted murder of NCIS Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo." Was it just her, or did her voice quaver?

In her mind, Kate pretended that the man before her was not her father. She pretended that he was a stranger. A suspect who needed to be put behind bars. But she couldn't block out the image of her father. As much as she hated him, he was her dad, and a part of her would always love him.

Shaking her head to clear her mind, she called out to her mother. "Could you use my cell phone and call Special Agent Gibbs? We need him here pronto."

Mr. Todd could hear the cell phone buttons beeping as his wife called Kate's boss.

"Stop."

Mrs. Todd paused, her finger about to hit the "Send" button. Kate turned to look at the one who'd spoken.

"Stop," repeated Tony. "Don't arrest him."

Kate's jaw dropped. "You're not pressing charges?"

Tony shook his head. "It was a spur of the moment thing, you know? I'm sure he didn't mean it, and that he won't attempt it again."

Mrs. Todd glanced from her daughter to Tony. She could see her husband's shoulders shaking. Was he crying? Or was he mad?

Kate hurried to Tony's side and hugged him. "You don't need to be afraid of arresting him. He," she gestured toward Mr. Todd, "is no longer my father. He is no one but a man who tried to kill you."

"And I don't need rescuing from freaks like yourself, DiNozzo." Mrs. Todd glared at her husband. Dammit, that man could really push your buttons sometimes.

"He was trying to keep you out of jail," she scolded as she walked over to him and slapped his head. "At least pretend you're grateful."

"Well I'm not." Mr. Todd snapped back. "I don't want to be in his debt forever."

Tony shrugged. "If you really want to go to jail, I'm not going to stop you. Mrs. Todd, call Agent Gibbs."

* * *

Gibbs arrived within minutes, probably due to his reckless driving. When he answered his cell phone, he heard only three words out of the many that Mrs. Todd said to him. "Tony… attacked… arrest," In seconds, he was behind the wheel and flooring the pedal. He didn't even bother knocking on Kate's door. One minute, the apartment was in somewhat order, with all of them watching Mr. Todd's every move and exchanging wedding plans, and the next moment, Gibbs came storming through the door and was yelling at Mr. Todd.

"You imbecile!" he hollered while slapping the back of Mr. Todd's head like he did to Tony all the time, "You are going to be behind bars for a long, long time!"

Kate grabbed Gibbs's shoulders and pulled him back. "Gibbs, calm down."

Gibbs rounded on her. "Where's Tony?" he asked, trying to hide his concern.

"He's fine." Kate replied firmly. "See?" She motioned toward the couch, where Tony was lying down.

"Hey Boss." Tony waved to Gibbs and flashed one of his mega-watt smiles.

Gibbs allowed his face to relax for a moment in relief, but soon morphed it back into a scowl. "You," he barked to Mr. Todd, "are coming with me." Grabbing his arm, he lugged him outside and shoved him into the back seat of his car. "Get Ducky to check you out DiNozzo," he called back before slamming the car door shut and driving away.

**TBC**

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Gibbs was kinda OOC…but I'm sure that if he thought one of his agents was dead, he'd be pretty worried.

Just one more chapter and Meet the Todds is done!


	6. The Right Choice

Short last chappie. Blame it at the school. Stupid homework! And also blame my friend Karen who is currently annoying me on AIM.

O! The Disclaimer: I don't ownNCIS.

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There was a soft swish as the doors to the morgue slipped open quietly. The thunk of footsteps gave away the presence of people. Hushed words spoken, then the clatter of plastic against tile sounded throughout the room as Ducky dropped his water bottle in surprise. "He did what?" the ME exclaimed rather loudly. "Come right over here Anthony, let's see the damage."

* * *

It was a quiet Sunday morning. The sky was clear and there was just a soft breeze to ruffle the trees and make them whisper Earth's oldest secrets to each other. An old woman sat on a bench surrounded by squirrels and pigeons in a large park. She threw nuts and birdseed at the animals while watching the doors of the church across the street. She knew someone was late. A black limousine suddenly pulled up to the front of a church and screeched to a halt, the noise scaring away the throng of pigeons. The woman watched three men get out quickly and slam the car doors shut. They argued their way up the church steps and through the doors. Moments later, the church bells began ringing.

* * *

Seated in the last row of church pews, he watched the three men bustle through the doors. One of them went to stand at the alter, while the other two vanished through the doors of an adjoined room. A deep rumble of anger grew in his abdomen as he watched them. One of the men seated next to him grabbed his arm to restrain him from doing anything stupid. Fighting for self-control, the man concentrated on the music blasting from the organs. He heard the soft creak of oak doors as they swung open and he turned to watch the procession marching past them.

First came the little girls. They were smiling in their pale pink dresses that sparkled in the light. Taking dainty steps, they tossed flower petals over the aisle and beamed at the seated guests. Cute.

Following them came the couples. He recognized the first one. Abby and What's-his-face. There was a picture of them on her mantle. He'd seen it. Abby was dressed in flowing black halter dress while the man wore a white tux. To his surprise, he saw that it was the exact opposite of what all the other bridesmaids and groomsmen were wearing. Hmm….

As the organ music reached a crescendo, she appeared with the other man. Dammit. He was supposed to be there! He was supposed to be the one she was smiling at! The bubble of anger formed in him again, and he almost stood up. Both men next to him secured his arms firmly down to prevent him from doing so. He was helpless to watch the other man bend down to whisper something in her ear before handing her over. Dammit all.

* * *

Kate had known in her gut that he'd be late. She just did! So it surprised her when she found herself pacing the dressing room floor and glancing at the clock when he was just five minutes late. Five minutes! God, she was turning into a nervous-wreak! Abby tired to get her do some weird sort of yoga to calm her nerves, but it was useless. The dress was making it hard to breath, and the shoes hurt her feet. Speaking of her feet, they were cold. Was this really the right choice? This man was late to his own wedding!

But wait. Of course it was the right choice.

Now, as she smiled into the face of the man that she decided to spend the rest of her life with, she felt a blanket of warmth envelop her. "I do."

**Fin**


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